Working Toward Abstraction

 

4/30/26 Volunteer Park

Sometimes the all-mighty algorithm finally gets it right.

With my reignited love for Caran d’Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons, I’ve been looking around for unique or unusual ways that urban sketchers or mixed-media plein air artists are using them.

For quite a while, I wasn’t very inspired. A lot of YouTubers are swatching all the colors for their audience, but I wasn’t seeing much art that involved unique approaches or techniques.

Eventually Colin Woodward popped up in my YouTube feed. Primarily a watercolor and acrylic painter, the Irish artist has lately been exploring both Neocolor II crayons and Derwent Inktense pencils – and he sometimes takes them out for plein air work. A-ha – finally something new and appealing! I’ve been bingeing on his videos ever since.

Although he’s done a few urban scenes, most of his landscapes are of northern Ireland’s lovely woods and streams. His spare, abstract style involves nuanced brushwork to activate water-soluble pigments; in other words, he’s applying water the way a watercolor painter would. One thing I really like about his informative demos is that he explains subtleties like why he changed the grip on his crayon or chose a particular brush at that moment.

Without trying to emulate his brushwork style (which involves a lot of nice watercolor brushes that I don’t intend to use, especially in the field), I tried a sketch at Volunteer Park (top of post). (This type of multi-layered scene of different types of trees is exactly what I was practicing from home recently.) I used my same old waterbrush – but more actively than I typically would. For years now, my primary means of activating color in trees and other foliage has been to spritz the page lightly with water. I like the organic look that results – most of the time. But other times I’ve lost control of the amount of water or direction of the spray.

Central to my sketch is the dense foliage of a magnificent sequoia. That’s very different from the lighter, airier foliage of deciduous trees that I have watched Woodward draw. Still, I tried to be more conscious of the tree’s form as I activated in a more controlled manner.

5/1/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

What my sketch above lacks is Woodward’s abstract elegance. The next day, still thinking of Woodward’s northern Irish landscapes, I stopped on my walk for a typical Tina landscape (about as far from northern Ireland as I could get!): a Maple Leaf alley, at right. In an A6-size Hahnemühle sketchbook, it’s difficult to do any kind of detail with chunky Neocolor crayons, so all I could do was make smudges of color for the trash cans. I like that forced abstraction!

Though my baby steps may not be obvious, I’ve been working toward greater abstraction for a while now. Sometimes it comes out because I’m cold and need to work extra fast. It’s a lot easier when I’m working from reference photos, I discovered. I can set myself an assignment to be looser and more abstract and then focus on that task in the comfort of my home. On location, I have so much “reality” in front of me that I tend to switch on auto-pilot urban sketching, which always comes out tighter and more “real.”

Detail from on-location comics

Another thing I’ve observed about my own process is that the comic-y, line-drawing sketches (example at left) I’ve been making the past couple of years go a long way in satisfying my need for capturing “reality” with no need for abstraction. The drawings are tight and descriptive for a reason, and I like them that way. Sometimes when I do both types in the same location (these sketches from a recent drink & draw are a good example), the part of me with a need for tightness relaxes and allows me to be more abstract. That insight is a big personal win!

My goal for this spring and summer, when I tend to use more color, will be to push myself a bit harder toward abstraction on location. Maybe Woodward’s inspiration will be the nudge I need.

Street Action

 

4/28/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood

I was just finishing lunch when the floors and windows suddenly started shaking: A jackhammer was ripping into the pavement in front of a neighbor’s house. Grabbing my bag on the way, I dashed upstairs to sketch the action.

This is all I was able to catch of the jackhammering business. 

Too late for the noisy jackhammer, I caught the workers manually removing large chunks of broken concrete and dumping them into the shovel on the opposite end of the jackhammer (multi-use heavy equipment is so cool!). They had dug a shallow hole.

Shortly after that, a truck with a tank arrived – a pumper truck, I guess? A hose was lowered into a hole that had been revealed, and something liquid was sucked up. I had to leave for an appointment, so I couldn’t catch whatever happened next. When I returned, I saw that they had patched up the pavement.

The patch was only temporary, however. The following week, a concrete mixer arrived with a large crew of workers (below). A tree blocked most of the mud truck from my view, but I had fun trying to catch the various gestures made by the crewmen as they smoothed out the new pavement.

5/5/26 The concrete mixer arrived.

What would I do with myself without all this front-row action?

Farewell, Ada’s Technical Books

 

4/30/26 Ada's Technical Books, Capitol Hill neighborhood

I often observe Independent Bookstore Day by sketching some of my favorites. Although I didn’t get around to it on April 25, the official day, I still wanted to get over to Ada’s Technical Books, which is closing in June.

A unique niche on Capitol Hill for 16 years, the store also had a nice café and coffee shop. Back in the day (2015), when USk Seattle was small enough to have cold weather outings in cafés, we met in Ada’s cozy back area.

I admit, I have never purchased a book there; my reading interests have never leaned toward the technical. I have, however, enjoyed the café several times (and I bought colored pencils the last time I sketched the store). I had intended to have lunch as sort of a farewell, but the kitchen was closed that day.

It’s always bittersweet when an indie bookstore closes. I hope another opens in its place.

Technical notes: This is the kind of scene I would never choose to sketch if it weren’t itself the reason for the sketch. The shop was mostly blocked by the outdoor seating shelter and a tree. In addition, the storefront was cluttered with a tent (someone’s residence?) and other stuff, most of which I ignored, but there wasn’t much of the store to see, let alone sketch.

On the other hand, it gave me an opportunity to use my latest warm/cool colored pencil pairing: Mars Orange and Grape Derwent Drawing pencils.

Bittersweet at Gas Works Park

 

5/2/26 Cranes are poised for destruction at Gas Works Park

Back in February when I participated in a “heart bomb” for Gas Works Park, the decision to dismantle some of the historic structures had been tabled by the city. There was still hope to find alternative solutions that would address safety concerns while retaining the structures. 

The usual park residents

Then in April the Historic Seattle organization reported that one Seattle department had ordered another city department to remove “character-defining features (catwalks, platforms, railings, ladders, pipes, etc.), or “appurtenances,” on the iconic towers by May 15. It seems a decision had been made quickly without the knowledge or involvement of landmarks preservation organizations (see the full story and context at the link above).

USk Seattle had been thinking of a different location for our May 2 outing for International Urban Sketchers Week, but we made a quick decision to meet at Gas Works Park instead. We had to sketch ASAP if we wanted to capture as much of the original structures before they were forever changed.

Knowing that it would be the last time we’d see the gas works as they had always been, it was a bittersweet outing, and USk Seattle came out in full force. The blow was somewhat softened by the amazing weather: Temps in the low 70s with sunshine and a soft breeze off Lake Union! I was among the many sketchers who sat or stood comfortably in full sun without feeling too warm. What a treat!

I stood at the top of Kite Hill for most of my sketches so that I could include the backside of the gas works, where cranes were already in place to dismantle pieces that could be climbed. While it’s tragic that several trespassers have fallen to their deaths over the years, it’s important to note that the entire area has always been surrounded by fencing with signs everywhere prohibiting entry and climbing.

It’s also a great spot to capture kite fliers, people and dogs enjoying the sunshine at the crest of the hill.

Top of Kite Hill

Because I’m feeling sentimental about my favorite city park, I’m showing below some of my many sketches of Gas Works Park from the past 11 years.

1/19/26

4/18/25

9/17/22

9/2/21

6/22/17 The piping and catwalks that cast these cool shadows will soon be gone.

7/2/16

9/9/15

5/2/26

The Ever-Versatile Neocolor (and Latest Sketch Kit Improvement)

 

Ever-versatile Caran d'Ache Neocolor II water-soluble crayons

The tiny Sendak was one of several ways I tried carrying Neocolors in the field,
but they all required an auxiliary bag.

Although Neocolor II water-soluble wax pastels is a medium that I’ve dabbled in for as long as I’ve been sketching, it has only been the past year that I’ve given this Caran d’Ache product a serious workout. It started last summer when I tried carrying a supply of the crayons in the field. I tried several ways, actually, and none was ideal, so my regular use on location didn’t last long. It was enough, though, to reignite my love for Neo IIs.

In the winter, I put the Neo II crayons to work as a favorite doomscrolling prevention medium. Practicing from reference photos at home had double benefits: It encouraged me to mix the crayons with other media (which taught me which products they were friendly with), and, even more significantly, it encouraged me to try using them in the field again.

Sketching from photos helped me explore mixed media and encouraged me to try Neocolors in the field again.

The real breakthrough came when I devised a way to conveniently carry a half-dozen colors in my daily-carry bag instead of in an auxiliary bag. Then I discovered that my MacGyver’d solution had the additional benefit of serving as a painting palette!

Now that I’m using them regularly in the field, I’m appreciating the versatility of Neocolor II crayons even more. Unlike colored pencils, the chunky tips discourage fiddly details and especially encourage taking a more shape-based, painterly approach.

Using mixed media on location.

I especially enjoy using them in combination with both watercolor pencils and non-soluble pencils. Putting the crayon ends face up inside my bag enables me to use my “licking” method easily, and that encourages me to use them more like watercolor paints when I want to.

My life seemed perfect – except for one thing: I wanted more than the six colors that my MacGyver setup would allow. I needed something like that tiny coin purse, but larger.

Necessity is the mother of invention, or in my case, of late-night shopping. I knew Etsy was a good source of handmade things not available in stores or on Amazon. Indeed, I found a variety of simple, inexpensive fabric rolls sized for kids’ crayons, and one of them was exactly the dimensions I needed. It fits 10 Neocolor crayons perfectly. (Yes, it would have been easy to sew myself – if I still had a sewing machine and fabric scraps. But I prefer to support an entrepreneur. And don’t forget I’m lazy.)

This adorable roll, made by an Etsy merchant, is intended for kids' crayons. (It came with an elastic band to hold the roll closed, but I cut it off.)

I sewed the crayon case to the back of the Rickshaw pen case, which removes the bulk of the crayons from the main compartment. It has been working perfectly! (This post shows all the media in my daily-carry.)

The crayon roll is sewn to the back of my Rickshaw pen case.

But what about the tiny coin purse I had sewn inside – my original MacGyver solution? Initially, I was going to remove it. Then a thought occurred to me: My colored pencils eventually get to the point where they are not yet short enough to attach to an extender/holder, but they are short enough to disappear from view in the pencil case. The coin purse gives them the boost they need to stay visible for a while longer. (I avoid using extenders as long as possible because they add weight and bulk.)

The circled pink Inktense and gray Museum Aquarelle pencils are much shorter than they look. The tiny red coin purse sewn inside the pen case gives them a boost, which keeps them from disappearing from sight.

Isn’t it wonderful when my life is perfect! Well, at least my sketch kit (which, as we all know, is the most important part of life).

Ahhh.... my perfect life.

Two Tree Studies

 

4/27/26 Maple Leaf neighborhood through an upstairs window

I’ve been wanting to practice sketching multiple layers of trees and foliage with varying textures and hues. It’s the type of scene I love, but it can be overwhelming to sketch on location. Initially I was going to head out to a park to look for the right scene, but I found exactly what I was looking for through an upstairs window (top of post). Although I’m sure I sketched it at some point during the pandemic when I sketched out of every window in the house many times, this scene doesn’t have an interesting composition. It perfectly served my purpose, however, as a study. I used a limited palette of five Caran d’Ache Neocolor II crayons (plus one Caran d'Ache Museum Aquarelle pencil for the sky).

Another thing I’ve been wanting to practice is dogwood trees. In past attempts, I felt I had failed to capture the airy transparency of dogwood blossoms. Unlike cherry trees, which transform into thick cottony clouds of pale pink, dogwood branches are sparsely covered, even at their peak. A photo of a dogwood I had snapped recently (I showed it a few days ago) made a good study for the sketch below.

4/27/26 photo reference

It also gave me an opportunity to practice a strategy I had talked about a while back but keep forgetting to use on location: Mixing water-soluble and non-soluble materials to the best advantage of each. I wanted the background house to be visible through the transparency of the blossoms without being cluttered with detail that detracted from the tree. I first tried using an Olive Earth Derwent Drawing pencil to draw the house, but it was too pale, so I switched to Ivory Black. Then I used five colors of Neocolor II crayons for the blossoms and foliage. I spritzed the page lightly with water. Finally, I used the black Drawing pencil to draw the branches and continue darkening the house behind the blossoms.

This exercise was, for me, the ideal use of a reference photo: To practice the kinds of techniques I want to use on a specific subject on location (which I hope to do soon).

A strategic mix of media

Long-Awaited Forest Trailhead Exhibit Opens

 

4/29/26 A tree kangaroo and a kea in the Forest Trailhead exhibit

Members got a preview this week of Woodland Park Zoo’s long-anticipated Forest Trailhead exhibit. The spacious, well-designed environment is a much-improved home for Carson, the red panda (a zoo ambassador for his endangered brethren), tree kangaroos and a kea. In an equally spacious indoor area, nearly 20 species of fish, reptiles and amphibians live in tanks.

On the day I visited, I focused on the outdoor exhibit (I’ll get to the indoor part some rainy day), where I was happy to see and sketch all three of the furry and feathered residents. (I was so eager to sketch that I forgot to take photos! I’ll certainly do that on return visits.)

Carson, the red panda, a popular zoo ambassador

As I took a walk through the rest of the zoo, I came upon Skyanna, a North American porcupine, who is a much more active ambassador. Out of her exhibit and on the main thoroughfare with human companions, Skyanna was as tame and friendly as a house a cat! We all awww’d as she munched on treats and tore up a toilet paper tube for fun.

Skyanna, a North American porcupine

This is the time of year when I get my money’s worth from my zoo membership. I’ll be back soon!

Skyanna munching on a treat

In response to a question, Skyanna's human friend explains that porcupines don't need to run fast because they wear very sharp armor!

When I arrived at opening time, the stroller set filled a long line. I sketchwaited a few minutes so that I could just walk in without standing in line.